


Let the warmth linger

by looneytails (mixthealphabet)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Drabble Collection, First Date, First Kiss, Friendship, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, innuendos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-06 20:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3147932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixthealphabet/pseuds/looneytails
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Several estances in which Nico learns to let Will in. [Or the other way around.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. There's clarity in desperation

Nico di Angelo was packing.

“You can’t stop me from going, Solace.”

The blond whimpered, still staring, frozen, from the doorway.

He had let himself hope that Nico would stay in camp, that he would keep his promises.

In a way, he understood why the other boy felt this strange necessity to leave. While demigods were usually accepting, few were the people in camp who were able to interact with the son of Hades without demonstrating some kind of apprehension. Being kept at arms-length at all times had to be exhausting, if not insulting.

It was the eyes, Will knew.

Nico had his father’s eyes, as Percy had mentioned one night. Dark and intense and glinting with something that might have been fire just as well as it might have been ice.

However, what others seemed to find disquieting, Will found enthralling.

Not that he would ever be brave enough to say anything about it.

“You – You can’t go! You’re not healthy yet! Lord Hades has to understand that!”

But his cries landed on deaf years as Nico continued to cram his possessions into a dark backpack, dodging Will’s touch when he tried to grab his shoulders.

“I have followed your orders for an entire year,  _doctor_.” Nico looked up at the word, snickering. “I’m more than ready to help my father. It’s my duty.” He paused and his tone softened. “This is not goodbye, just an I’ll see you later.”

Will frowned, trying to stop himself from hyperventilating.

“That later might take years.” He swallowed the urge to cry. “You said it yourself. An outbreak like this… It will take time. Hades can’t expect you to give up your life when he has eternity!”

Nico bypassed the son of Apollo, glancing worriedly at the small altar he’d prepared for his father.

“I’ll come back as soon as I’m not needed there anymore.”

Will felt his lips tremble, letting his expression fall with dejection.

He had loved this boy for so long and waited so much time that it had become difficult to even think of it. He had thought Nico would never look at him, not as a friend and definitely not as something more, but after all they had been through – the war, Octavian, their time in the infirmary and then out of it – it was almost impossible to imagine that a day could go by in which Nico was not by Will’s side.

The dark-haired boy turned to leave.

“You’re needed  _here_!” Will shouted, hands flailing. “ _I_  need you!”

From where he stood, the blond could see Nico tighten his grip on the backpack, his knuckled turning white.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean, Solace.”

The heaviness in those words confused Will. He stumbled forward, grabbing Nico’s shoulders and forcing the boy to face him.

“I mean it,” he answered confidently, trying to ignore the knot that had formed in his throat. “I need you.”

He lifted his hand to Nico’s cheek hesitantly, touching him only when the other leaned his head towards him. In synchrony, they moved closer.

“I…” Will started again, lowering his gaze to Nico’s lips. However, as soon as he did this, Nico dropped his backpack to the floor, grabbing the blond’s collar and dragging him down for a kiss.

He brushed their lips together, giving Will the opportunity to move away. But he simply leaned down, pressing their mouths more firmly and ever so delicately coaxing Nico’s lips into a response.

Dissatisfied by this pace, Nico pushed him back until Will hit the bed, sitting down and pulling the dark-haired boy into his lap. A hand found its way into blond locks, but the healer refused to intensify the kiss, dragging his lips over Nico’s with leisure.

“Will you talk to your father?” He asked into the kiss. He smiled when the son of Hades groaned.

“Are you trying to manipulate me when I’m distracted?” Nico heaved, tilting his head back when Will shifted his lips to the boy’s jaw.

“I was thinking more along the line of sexual favors.” Will laughed as Nico gulped. “But is it working?”

Nico’s weight on him was comforting in ways he had never imagined. It brought forth a confidence that Will didn’t understand, but that he wouldn’t mind having at all times. Especially if his companion continued to react to it by moaning.

“Yes.” Nico replied after a moment, pushing himself up and off of Will’s lap. “I’ll talk to my dad.” He fixed the blond with those intense eyes. “Can we kiss again, now?”


	2. It had all started with this

Nico di Angelo had not meant to ask Will Solace out on a date.

It had all started with his last Iris Message to Hazel, which had turned into a conversation with Frank when his sister was summoned by Reyna.

After the last two years, his friendship with the Praetor had only grown, a fact that he knew made Hazel extremely happy. She, more than anyone, had hoped for Nico’s recovery and adjustment to the camps, and she seemed strangely pleased with herself that her boyfriend had become a positive factor in that.

“And then Stuart pushed Dakota into the fountain!” Frank had been laughing so much that tears had welled up in his eyes. Even Nico had had to put a hand over his mouth in order to stop himself from guffawing. “Oh, you should have seen his face. Dakota was heartbroken! I think he actually thought that setting himself on fire was a good grand gesture!”

The boys had been laughing and trading stories for an hour when Frank turned around, seeming to look at something that was outside Nico’s field of vision.

“I almost forgot…” The Roman had blinked, slowly glancing back at Nico. He had looked tense. “I have to go help with the preparations for the inter-camp party. Percy and Jason are being… energetic.” And, by that, Nico knew he’d meant obtuse. “You’re coming, right? Everyone is invited, but Reyna really wants you there.”

And that had been it, really. There was no master plan about getting him a date or some crazy scheme to make sure Nico wouldn’t leave halfway through the gathering.

It had all started with an invitation.

“What are you doing this Saturday?”

The question had caught him so off guard that Nico had almost missed Will’s next attack. It would have been an ugly cut too, because head injures usually bled a lot.

[And it was official; he’d spent too much time in the infirmary.]

The blond had continued to beam at him, swinging his sword once again and trying to overpower Nico when their weapons clanked together.

He’d done it on purpose.

“Party at the Romans,” had answered Nico, forcing Will back. In one swift motion, he had hooked his foot behind his friend’s knee and knocked him down. “That was pitiful.” He had smirked. “Still, you’re getting better.”

Will’s lips had twitched up at the compliment, but his eyes had been fixed on his shoes. He had looked… disappointed.

“Oh, yeah, the party.” He had rubbed his right arm, as if uncomfortable. “I’d… Hm, forgotten about it.”

Nico had frowned. Will’s voice had wavered and he hadn’t sounded like he was telling the truth.

“Do you want to come?” Nico had asked, tilting his head to the side.

Will had looked up then, all bright blue eyes and lazy smiles, and suddenly things had seemed to fall back into place.

Until Nico got to his cabin and realized what he’d just done, that is.

“A date? That is why you look like Tartarus just crawled back from his whole and is coming for us?”

Piper McLean was not as understanding as Jason usually made her seem.

The girl shook her head in a reprimanding manner, but continued to smile at him. Even in the dim light of his cabin, her eyes shone a multitude of colors.

Nico asked himself how Jason was ever able to concentrate on anything else. As pretty as they were, the changing colors were a bit freaky.

“You’re missing the point,” Nico growled, forcing himself not to roll his eyes. He wanted her help, after all. “Is it a date if I didn’t mean to ask him on one? Would he have even said yes if he thought it was a date?”

Piper glanced at him quickly, and her eyes and nose crinkled with mischief. She was looking through his closet, setting out some clothes that she seemed to like.

“Jules-Albert is taking us there, right?” The daughter of Aphrodite threw a dark blue button-up at Nico, as well as some jeans that Hazel had given him as a Birthday gift. “You’re rolling up those sleeves. I may not be Drew or Camila, but I think my cabin is starting to rub off on me.” She frowned. “Don’t tell Leo I said that.”

Nico stared at the clothes, flabbergasted, before dumping them on his bed and glaring at Piper.

“I…” He forced himself to use a less hostile tone, but spoke through gritted teeth. “I appreciate your help.” He breathed in deeply. “But I didn’t invite you here for  _fashion tips_.”

Piper chuckled, unimpressed by his response.

“Fashion is not a curse, Nico, stop saying it like that. It’s been years since I was last afraid of you.” The girl smirked and, when she once again spoke, her words were laced with charmspeak. “Now, put on the nice clothes. I need to finish my hair, because I’m seeing my boyfriend for the first time in two months.”

So he did.

“I hate when you do that!” Nico yelled from the bathroom.

“I love you too!” Came Piper’s reply, muffled by the door between them, and a rebellious smile took the boy’s lips.

It wasn’t long after they were done that Nico felt a presence approach his cabin. As soon as he’d turned to investigate – gently slapping Piper’s hand away from his hair –, there was a knock on the door.

Standing on the other side, dressed more nicely than Nico had ever seen him, was Will Solace.

The son of Apollo had definitely done something different to his hair, because the blond ringlets looked less all-over-the-place and more like Annabeth’s princess curls, tidier. In spite of his appearance, Will looked nervous, blue eyes darting from the obsidian walls to Nico, then to Piper. Still, he grinned.

“Hi,” the healer breathed out. “You look amazing.” He seemed to realize what he’d said, because the tips of his ears reddened and he cleared his throat. “I mean… You didn’t say what time we were leaving, so I thought it would be better to come get you.”

Nico heard Piper snort from inside the cabin, but he didn’t pay her any attention, for he was too busy staring wide-eyed at the blond boy in front of him.

“That’s okay.” Nico knew he must have sounded almost sheepish, but couldn’t care. Will’s anxiety was making something warm bubble up in his chest. “Ready for our date?” he asked in a surge of confidence.

Will looked up at him as if startled, and Nico decided that the happiness present in those blue eyes was definitely more beautiful than anything Aphrodite could bless upon her children.

“Yeah!” The blond beamed at Nico, running a hand through his locks and instantly hurrying to tidy them up once again.

Nico grabbed his hand, pulling it down and entwining their fingers.

“Don’t. It’s more you.”

Even as he said it, Nico heard Piper chuckle and he knew that she was never going to let him live it down. But when Will’s cheeks burned as red as his ears, the son of Hades decided it was worth it.


	3. Lifes taken

Nico di Angelo knew exactly what to expect when he entered the Apollo cabin, but this did nothing to prevent his heart from clenching at the sight of the crying Will Solace.

Although they hadn’t been friends for long, the relationship between them had grown comfortable and they had become close in the expanse of the two months that had followed the Gigantomachy. This was why Nico had found himself so frequently accompanying Will during his shifts in the infirmary, offering help with the less technical tasks, as well as his input on the status of certain patients.

He had warned the son of Apollo about the sickness that had taken his sibling; death festered in her wounds, bubbling up in pasty fluid and greenish skin. Will, ever the optimist, had nodded at his words and attempted to work even harder on his sister’s recovery.

“I’m a healer,” he’d said. “And I’m her big brother. I can’t just let her die!”

While Nico admired the boy’s determination, he had been painfully aware of the shadows that formed under the girl’s eyes and of the way her soul wavered. And so, as Will ran around the infirmary with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, he sat by Eduarda’s bedside and did his best to give her comfort in her dreams.

It was all for naught, of course, but Nico didn’t have the heart to tell Will that.

That morning, she had gone into septic shock for the third time since her admittance. Her organs had failed and then, head lolling back like a child that falls asleep, she had died.

Unsure of what to do, Nico sat next to Will on the bed, awkwardly putting his arm around the other boy. At his touch, Will threw himself on Nico, burying his face on his friend’s neck, and continued to cry.

It took him some minutes to calm down.

“I…” He got cut off by a sob. “I was so sure she would make it.” One of his hands had grabbed onto Nico’s shirt, stretching the fabric. “With demigods, we have Nectar and Ambrosia and, now, unicorn draught. If we don’t lose them in the first day or two…” He breathed in. “I was just so sure.”

The way his voice broke created a knot in Nico’s throat. He didn’t know how to make things right once again.

“Demigods die, Will,” he stated softly, “and you’re not at fault for that.”

The blond shifted in his arms, so that his head leaned against Nico’s shoulder, making it possible for them to look at each other.

Will had stopped crying, but there were tears in his eyes and his nose was uncommonly red. He pursed his lips and wrinkled his eyebrows.

“What if this one was, though?” His question was barely a whisper, more to himself than to Nico. “What if Duda died because I’m not good enough at healing. Just like I’m not good enough at archery or poetry or singing…”

Will’s voice had grown progressively louder and Nico was suddenly glad that the rest of the cabin was still inside the infirmary or around camp, grieving in their own ways. If he knew one thing about the Apollo counselor, it was that he went through great lengths not to appear weak.

“Don’t be daft,” Nico reprimanded, interrupting his friend’s rant. “We both know you are an amazing healer. Part of it may be because of who your father is, but most of it is because of you…” He hesitated, blushing at the realization of how horribly emotional he might have sounded. “Well, of you being you.”

Will’s lips twitched a bit, pulling upwards, but tears once again started rolling down his cheeks. He rubbed his forehead against Nico’s shirt.

“She’s still dead.”

The son of Hades sighed heavily, feeling his own eyes burn. After two months helping Will treat her, Nico had started to like Duda.

“There are things that even the gods can’t control, Will. After the war, she was too immunocompromised to fight off the infection and I’m guessing the gravity of her wounds didn’t help.” The dark-haired boy paused, wavering on whether he should continue. “There was death inside her from the beginning.”

Instead of being angry, as Nico had feared he would, Will simply nodded, leaning more fully against him.

“I know,” he confessed, before repeating what he’d told Nico when his sister had first crashed, “I couldn’t just let her die.”

Nico swallowed his urge to cry and tightened his hold on Will.

“I’ll talk to her ghost. She’s in Elysium. I don’t know if I can take you there, too, but I’ll try.”

The healer inhaled shakily, nose pressed against the crook of Nico’s neck in the chastest of ways. If the decreasing rhythm of his breath was any indication, he was falling asleep, having exhausted himself with all the healing and all the crying.

“Gods,” Will mumbled, “Duda was right. I really like you.”


	4. Intoxication in a less than pure form

The Inter-Camps Halloween Party was _crazy_.

It had been crazy since its first edition three years ago, but it seemed to reach new levels of derangement with every passing event.

It had been Camp Half-Blood’s turn to plan it and they had surely made Mr. D proud.

Pop music assaulted Nico’s ears from all sides, blasting at top volume from the speakers that the Hephaestus cabin had installed. The groups of friends had merged into one dancing crowd, making it difficult for the son of Hades to individually identify any of the present.

Nico could see a witch that he was pretty sure was Lou Ellen, which probably meant that the guy in the flying monkey costume was Cecil. Not far from them, Annabeth was dressed as Wonder Woman, rapidly talking to Superman Jason and Aquaman Percy. The comic book theme had been suggested by Piper, but the girl was nowhere to be seen, so Nico couldn’t say what she might have been wearing. He was pretty sure she just wanted to see her boyfriend in tights.

Nico had barely escaped the group costume by saying that he wouldn’t be attending.

That was until Reyna had appeared at his cabin with a Greek armor his size, demanding he join the festivities, because she had wasted too much time making sure that Percy wouldn’t create trouble for her best friend not to participate in the fun.

It was difficult to say no when Reyna was calling him her best friend.

So there stood the son of Hades, at the entrance, debating whether to join the Seven or to take his chances in finding Clovis or Dakota in the crowd, when a loud voice broke through his thoughts.

“It has to be against the old laws for someone to look that good in leather.”

Will Solace came barreling towards him, almost tripping over a couple who talked by the punch table.

Nico frowned, confused by both the compliment and the look of absolute delight that took the blond’s eyes. He hurried to join Will in the mass of people.

“Solace?” he asked, watching as Will wavered, struggling to stay upright. “Are you high?”

“I might!” The boy whooped and some of the demigods around them echoed his cheer. “ _I’m high on your scent and I’m high on your skin. High on the look in your eyes, on the way they spell_ …” He leaned a bit closer, almost invading Nico’s personal space, and the blue of his irises swam with the technicolor lights of the dancefloor. “Sin.”

Nico raised his eyebrows, but his expression remained blank.

“Just drunk, then.”

He sighed, already very much done with the party.

Will looked serious once again, but his gaze was disquieting. It was focused on Nico, going from his eyes and lips and jaw down to his tights and calves, then back up. The guy didn’t even have the sense of looking sheepish over his blatant staring.

“I know I’m tall…” Will started, biting his lower lip. “So how come you’re the one with the incredible legs?” He grumbled a bit. “I bet it’s not just the legs. I bet you’re incredible all over.”

Nico turned away from the blond. His friend’s words were spoken calmly and low, almost inaudible in the mixture of shouts and music, and they made something hot grow inside him.

Will was dressed as a cowboy; low hanging light wash jeans, fitted white shirt with a fringed vest, boots and a dark blue hat. Even though Nico’s fantasies were usually filled with pirates and surfers, he had to admit that the expanse of skin appearing from those popped open buttons was mouth-watering.

“The party just started,” Nico muttered to himself. “How can you possibly be drunk already?”

Will moved forward, hovering over the son of Hades. He was unstable on his feet, but it was his grimace of concentration that evoked a chuckle from Nico, finally breaking through his irritation.

“You never told me you didn’t like touching, you know?” The boy scrunched up his nose. “I got told off by Percy Jackson. _Percy Jackson_.” He huffed. “Getting lectured by the guy who explodes toilets every time he gets mad. That was _morti_ ,” he struggled with the word, “ _mortiifyiing_.”

Nico rolled his eyes, grabbing onto Will’s flailing arms to steady him. The stumbling teen didn’t even flinch or try to get away, crashing onto his arms with very little ceremony.

“You’re heavy,” Nico complained, adjusting his hold so that one of his arms enveloped his friend’s waist.

“And you’re a hot mess. A hot mess in very short armor.” Will nuzzled his neck. “I think you put Aphrodite to shame. Greeks have started wars for less.”

Nico’s mouth twitched in distaste.

He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t imagined what it would be like to have Will Solace’s complete attention for a reason besides his health. After so many years in Camp Half-Blood, after long days in the infirmary and even longer nights talking in his rooftop, it would be incredibly difficult for Nico not to have developed some sort of affection for the Apollo counselor. His rapidly beating heart and fluttery stomach, however, were more than he’d bargained for.

In many ways, this situation was less than ideal.

Will was drunk, if not high. He didn’t understand what he was doing. He most certainly didn’t understand what he was doing _to Nico_.

“Who got you like this?” Dark eyes quickly studied the dancefloor, falling onto Lou Ellen and Cecil, who had been staring at them. “Who were you with, before I arrived?”

“Cecil.” The blond gripped Nico’s arm and tried to take a step towards the other two, pointing. “Liquid confidence, that’s what he called.” He paused, twisting his lips strangely. “I can’t feel my face. That happened after Clarisse offered me a cup. It was an experiment.”

Even from afar, the look of unguarded terror that crossed the son of Hermes’ face was unmistakable.

Nico’s forehead wrinkled as he realized that those two were somehow listening in on them.

“You got drunk…” He tried to suppress a snort. “For science.”

“Yes!” Will turned to him, grinning, then shook his head. “No, wait! The confidence, I drank punch for the confidence.”

Nico rearranged his grip on the son of Apollo, forcing one of the boy’s arms around his neck.

“We’ll talk about this once you’re sober and embarrassed. Right now, you need to help me find Kayla. She can get you in bed.” He struggled under the extra weight, trying to force their way to the exit.

“Oh, what wouldn’t I do to get _you_ in bed.” Will’s breath ghosted over Nico’s collarbone, where the boy had dipped his head.

“You’re not helping,” Nico muttered through gritted teeth, focusing on not to sounding as breathless as he felt.

The healer let out a content sigh, before standing up straight and pulling a golden vial from his pocket.

“Felix Felicis.” He downed the liquid. “Liquid luck, liquid courage, liquid confidence.” He winked at the dark haired boy, laughing as if they’d just shared an inside joke. “Let’s grind!”

Nico felt like he was choking on his own tongue.

“Don’t you mean dance?”

Will’s answering grin was downright lewd.

“No.”

Still, when he felt the blond pull on his shoulders, Nico went.

The two found a place amidst the crowd, dark enough that very few campers would be able to actually determine who they were. Immediately, Will put his arms around Nico’s waist, giving his companion a moment to pull away, before pressing their bodies flush against each other and rolling their hips together.

Nico groaned at the friction and let his head drop to Will’s shoulder.

The blond chuckled. The sound resonated through their joined chests.

“I could feel you the moment you walked in, Nico,” Will confessed. His voice carried an unusual huskiness to it. “I always can.”

For a moment, everything was as it should be. Techno music blared, they danced and the people around them faded into white noise.

And then Nico pushed away.

He had let himself get involved in the atmosphere of the party, in the idea that someone saw him as more than a shadow, in the fact that that someone was Will Solace. Yet, the truth was simple: Will was intoxicated, most likely drugged by Cecil with the help of Lou Ellen’s magic.

He couldn’t take advantage of someone like that, especially not of his best friend.

“If only you meant that.” Nico held out a hand, gesturing for Will to stay where he was. “You mentioned confidence earlier. What did you need confidence for?”

The healer looked down and the yellow ringlets of his hair hid his eyes from Nico’s.

“You’re so dense,” he chided, but his words sounded slurred. “I needed to talk to you, to tell you…” He scratched his elbow. “Well, everything. That I like you, and that I want you, and that I can’t stop thinking about you.”

The son of Hades inhaled shakily, taking a second to quench the warmth that had surged through his chest.

In his lack of response, Will shifted his weight from one leg to the other, before trying to approach the boy once again.

“Please,” Nico exclaimed, shaking his head. “I have to get you to your cabin. You’re not thinking straight.”

Someone snorted from behind them.

“Yeah, straight and Will don’t really go together.”

Lou Ellen was pulling her curly hair away from her face, lips turned up into a tight smile. Cecil followed her closely, looking at the same time guilty and ridiculous, due to his costume.

“Hey, Lou.” Will called out, pouting. “I think I’m getting rejected.”

“I don’t think you are, Willy boy.” In the dark, it was difficult to define her expression, but Nico had the distinct impression that she was mocking them. “Neeks here is just looking out for you.” She turned fully to the son of Hades. “Sorry, I lost a bet and things got out of hand.”

Cecil laughed nervously by her side.

“In my defense, I asked you for a confidence enhancer, not a truth serum.”

Nico blinked at them. If the dancing lights hadn’t made him dizzy before, this conversation certainly would have.

“I can’t seem to shut up,” Will informed helpfully. “I thought that was the alcohol.”

This time, Cecil’s laugh was sincere.

“Alcohol? Dude, that was just punch. At most, a beer from Clarisse.” He grinned. “I knew you would fall for the placebo trick!”

Lou Ellen heaved a sigh, fishing two bills from her witch hat and thrusting them into Cecil’s waiting hands.

Bewildered, Will let his gaze meet Nico’s, who had become impossibly flushed. His look of shock melted into tenderness, then into something less pure.

“So, it turns out I _am_ simply high on you.” He moved his arms from behind his back to his sides, then crossed them over his chest, obviously uncomfortable with the things that kept spilling from his mouth. “Do you want to go back to my cabin? We can play with each other’s swords, since you’re already in armor.”

Cecil screeched, Lou Ellen laughed and Nico, in his mortification, accidentally opened a crack under Will’s feet that sent him tumbling to the ground.


End file.
